Canada’s housing market ‘vulnerable’ even as Toronto cools: CMHC

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation says the country’s overall real estate market remains “vulnerable” despite an easing in overvaluation in cities like Toronto and Victoria in the third quarter.

The federal agency says this is the tenth quarter in a row where it has given the overall Canadian housing market a “vulnerable” assessment.

CMHC’s finding is based on a number of factors including the level of imbalances in the housing market related to overbuilding, overvaluation, overheating and price acceleration when compared with historical averages.

It says it has changed Toronto and Victoria’s overvaluation rating from high to moderate when it measured it against factors such as population growth, personal disposable income and interest rates.

The degree of overall vulnerability remains high in Hamilton, Ont., and Vancouver, where the housing market has cooled in recent quarters but property prices remain high compared to these economic fundamentals.